"Doctor!"
The researchers in the back were becoming anxious as they watched Dr. Roca, who was lost in his own mutterings, completely ignoring the leader, Ajax, who had visited late at night.
However, Ajax raised his hand to signal the others to stay silent. He then slightly turned his head toward his subordinate Roca, and said,
"Did you all hear what the doctor just requested for his experiment?"
"Tell those janitors to stop bringing us drifters and scavengers. Capture some people with families names; that will yield better research data. Understood?"
"Understood! Leader! I'll arrange it immediately!"
The subordinate responded loudly, snapping Dr. Roca, who was engrossed in his research, back to reality.
Roca: "Lord Ajax? What brings you here so late?"
"Today I heard that you've managed to increase the concentration of the Miasma Reagent by another five percent. Such uplifting news! I was too busy during the day, but the moment I got some free time, I had to come and see for myself."
Saying this, Ajax patted Dr. Roca's shoulder with his large, sturdy hand.
"Dr. Roca, we owe Callewa's current standing to your hard work and exceptional research."
"Thank you for your kind words, boss, but 'exceptional' is stretching it," Roca replied, shaking his head in a self-deprecating manner.
"My current achievements are nothing compared to those of the Ashen Empire five hundred years ago. Despite their lack of resources, they were able to produce a reagent with a concentration as high as 70% using technology far less advanced than ours. And then there's the legendary 'crystallized' solid-state Miasma. What a beautiful, dreamlike substance that must be! Sadly, I doubt I'll achieve that in my lifetime."
A strong sense of longing and regret appeared on the long-haired doctor's face. For someone as engrossed—and slightly obsessed—with research as he was, wealth, power, or women could never hold a candle to the allure of studying Miasma.
It was precisely this quality in Roca that Ajax admired, leading him to place such trust in the doctor. Ajax even chuckled as he comforted him,
"There's no need to be so hard on yourself Doctor. The atmosphere during the Ashen Empire's era had Miasma concentrations tens of times higher than we have now. It's not an exaggeration to say that the people of that time grew up breathing Miasma. But today, the decline of the wasteland era has made Miasma very rare, nearly disappearing altogether. Your achievement in 'liquefied Miasma' is absolutely groundbreaking when you look at it on a global scale!"
Facing Ajax's praise, Dr. Roca made no effort to be humble. Instead, he turned his eyes toward the central furnace core of the factory—where the [Crimson Star] levitated and rotated in stark visibility.
However, just at that moment—
"Doctor, something seems off!" The research personnel operating the furnace sounded alarmed.
Operating the furnace shutdown mechanism was something that the Callewa members could do with their eyes closed by now. But this time, as they performed their usual tasks, they found that the equipment seemed to have "malfunctioned."
They had already pulled the lever to shut down the furnace. Normally, the [Crimson Star] would descend and cease to emit the Miasma's red mist. But what presented itself before them now was a [Crimson Star] that not only remained suspended in the air but also—
Seemed to react to something, shaking violently. The [Crimson Star] isolated by multiple [Barrier Shields], trembled fiercely before the eyes of hundreds of Callewa members inside the factory.
The strange phenomenon not only stopped Ajax, who was about to leave, but also left Dr. Roca dumbfounded, disbelief expression spread across his face.
He had studied the [Crimson Star] for decades, but had never seen this 'artifact' so animated.
'What is happening?'
If the members of the Callewa gang inside the factory were initially merely surprised and intrigued—
That all changed in the next instant.
Everyone inside the factory, Dr. Roca and Ajax included, had their expressions shift in a split-second to utter terror and confusion.
Crack*
A small crack appeared on the [Barrier Shield], spreading rapidly like a spider's web. The Tainted Miasma mist surrounding the Crimson Star seemed like a beast about to break free, baring its fangs at everyone in the factory.
It's crucial to understand that the original Crimson Star was identified as a Level-B tainted item. Though they had drained much of its Miasma power, reducing its original potency, if the [Barrier Shield] failed, the released Tainted Miasma would be more than they could withstand.
It could even result in a severe infection throughout the factory, turning the weaker member into Miasma-infected monsters in an instant, just like those failed test subjects!
'How could this be happening?!'
Dr. Roca was so stunned he forgot to run. His eyes remained fixated on the quivering Crimson Star. He knew that the problem wasn't with the [Barrier Shield]. Instead, the 'Emperor's Relic' seemed to have, in a flash, reached an energy level far surpassing even its initial Tainted Miasma peak.
'It was as if...as if...it was " excited "!'Continue reading on N0 VêLbIn